• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
1
Natural Hot Springs Etiquette
Take one tired body, wash thoroughly, marinate for two hours insudorific, brackish water, rinse, dr y and put to bed for eight hours.
 
Paul Murray writing for the TravelDish website onJapanese Onsen Culture & Etiquette 
Scenic Hot Springs, WA, USA in the winter
 When I was stationed in Japan in the early 70s, my Japanese pen-pal from gradeschool (whom I never stopped corresponding with) convinced me to join him ona trip to an onsen (
(
温泉
)
or hot spring in the central volcanic mountains of Japan.Our first attempt was at the Komaki Spa in Misawa, where I was stationed.Komaki is a huge rock pool where hundreds of soakers cantake a bath at the same time. It was noisy, bustling andcrowded with naked humanity.My second trip to an Onsen came about because I was dating aJapanese girl in Hachinohe and her family disapproved. Hername was Michiko; her friends, where she worked as a tour bus guide, called her Chico. We were getting pretty seriousabout each other and yet nothing would happen without her family's approval, which wasn't coming. Only her older brother, who was much more cosmopolitanand Westernized, understood. It was suggested that I meet him. That meeting was prearranged at an old Ryokan inn on the side of a mountain that paid host tosome of the most serene and tranquil hot springs I will ever see in my lifetime. I won't bore you with the details of that aborted love story. The point is that theculture of the hot spring (onsen) is important and needs to be respected.
 
寒寒寒寒けれどけれどけれどけれど
 
酒酒酒酒もありもありもありもあり
 
湯湯湯湯もあるもあるもあるもある処処処処
 
 It is cold, but we have sakeand the hot  spring
 
 
2
Natural Hot Springs Etiquette
A natural onsen (or hot spring) in Japan
 
The ritual of the bath strips titles and status symbols. One never knows if theindividual soaking nearby is rich or poor; whether that individual has the powerto shape economies or is barely scraping by. It doesn't matter. In the bath, all areequal . . . lord and serf alike. I met my girlfriends' brother on the sacred neutralground of the Japanese onsen. That is pretty much how I approach natural hotsprings thirty years later as I rediscover the joys of soaking. The hot spring, likethe onsen, is a sacred place; expectant of rituals and respect. Out of the Japaneserituals come the common-sense rules of conduct, or etiquette, for the Hot Spring.So on to the rules . . .
Rule # 1
Respect for others. We go to the springs to escape the stresses andpressures of a crowded, urban existence. We go to relax and enjoy the therapeutic joys of mineral-rich hot waters. It is not unlike soaking in your bathtub at home, locking out the days distractions and letting your mind empty of problems. The byword of hot springs is tranquility and you should endeavornot to disturb the tranquility of fellow soakers. Interaction in the pool should below-key . . . not high-energy.
 
3
Natural Hot Springs Etiquette
Rowdiness and partying are out of place in the pools. So is the boom-box andloud music. We want to hear the flutter of birds in the nearby trees . . . we want to'hear' the quiet with our minds. That is why we drove miles from the city toescape the pressures and noise of modern civilization.First-time visitors are often taken aback at the easy-going, clothing-optionalnature of remote, natural hot springs. That's fair. After all, we all have our hang-ups and public nudity is just one of many. If you think about it though (ritual andculture aside) slipping into the hot pools au' natural makes a lot of practicalsense . . . particularly if you have made a long, hard hike just to reach the springs.
Rule # 2
The Hot Springs are not baths. They are not places in which to wash yourself off.They are places of relaxation. In Japan, upon entering the onsen, you disrobe and with a small towel (usually draped on the head), you go to a soaping area outsideto pools. Often you sit on a small wooden stool and completely soap yourself upfrom head to toes to cleanse your body. Then your douse yourself with water froma large ladle. Only then can you properly enter the pools and enjoy your soak. Yourespect the hot spring by entering clean. The towel is not for modesty but israther to help cool the head through evaporation as you soak in thosesuperheated waters. They also are used to cover ones face and directcontemplation inwards as you soak.In practical terms it makes sense. Why do we shower before getting into a hottub? Why do they ask us to shower prior to using a public swimming pool? The water in the springs is communal . . . shared . . . and you must do everything youcan to keep it clean. Soaping is not practical at informal natural hot springs nor isit environmentally proper. However, we can rinse ourselves off before we stepinto the pool. Often there are containers set aside for just this purpose. As mostnatural hot springs are located in the wilderness and require the effort of a hiketo get there, we should not pollute the beneficial powers of the springs with oursweat, sunscreen oils and insect repellents. Dip a jug into the water and douse yourself before getting in. Pay particular attention to the dirt you may bring in with your feet.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...